Waking up to WisdomIn Stillness and Community

Previous Comments By 'nipun'

We took a break from our usual Wednesday format to have an incredible guest speaker this week -- Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi!

At the age of 23, in a rather poetic way, he became a monastic in 1967. "I never had to struggle with the decision to become a monk. One morning I simply woke up and thought, 'Why don’t I ask Ven. Giac Duc if he could ordain me,' and that was that." For more than 25 years, he's had a chronic headache that often makes even reading, writing, and speaking are difficult -- and with that experience, he speaks about "Pain Not Suffering". As a revered Buddhist teacher and scholar, he is an international authority on the words of Buddha; even when leaders like Dalai Lama need clarification, they turn to Bhikkhu Bodhi. Most recently, Bhikkhu Bodhi has taken a unusual monastic stance on service and started Buddhist Global Relief.

If attendees of the talk would like to share a reflections or notes for the benefit of everyone, please do so below. They will be emailed out to all event participants of last Wednesday.

This week, we experimented with a new idea -- propose a "be the change"/"pay it forward" action related to the weekly iJourney reading. While people have brainstormed such an idea before, this particular one came via Amit Dungarani after a CharityFocus retreat on Sep 19, 2010. And the time was ripe for implementation.

Francisco Ramos Stierle (aka Pancho!) initiated this idea, by offering this idea for the week:

"What if this week, we generate some of this loving-kindness and share it with our neighbors? Sit in meditation -- as we do on Wednesdays -- and fill up that gorgeous heart of yours with your best energy, trespass those imaginary walls of isolation, knock on your neighbor's door and connect with that neighbor you have not chatted with in weeks (months?). Like a happy healthy neuron trying to connect with our neighbor neuron, let's generate that love and release it in the form of a hug, a smile, a healthy meal, compassionate listening, loving speech, shining eyes, gardening, a poem, a book, a song, a compliment or any expression of cooperation, collaboration or collectivism -- whatever comes up. Perhaps you want to carry on some of the legacy of an "ancestor neuron" and share that wisdom with your neighbor. [If you want to step it up, look for that neighbor who challenges you the most.]

Do we think/feel we will be able to keep that heart full of love regardless of the response of our neighbor? Are we willing to receive some energy from him/her and process it with the same original intention? How long are we able to keep this flow?

One neuron at a time -- to connect the entire healthy brain of the Earth Community. Imagine!"

For the first time, Komi walked in for Wednesday meditation. Heavy built man from Togo, Africa. During the circle of sharing, he shared some heartfelt tidbits. As he was leaving, few of us got into a spirited conversation. "Did you know he was a cop?" "What do you mean 'was a cop?'" "I just quit, man," Komi says. "How come?" "It was just too much." "What was too much?"

"Like, one time, I was on patrol and it was very cold and I saw this young couple snuggled up on the streets. They weren't on drugs, they were drunk, they were just a little out of luck and very cold." After a gulp, Komi adds: "Someone had called the cops so I had to get them out of there. But to where? They were good people. I just couldn't do it."

Pancho asks, "Have you even policed any protests?" "Oh, that is too much. You wear this riot gear, they give you this long baton. Have you seen it?" Just describing the outfit, tears glossed over his eyes.

"They told me that cops don't do what I do. That's social service. So after two years, I quit and am going into social service," he concluded with hearty laugh. To which Pancho added, "Compassion is perhaps the highest form of security."

Just read David Brooks column that essentially speaks about how scientists are discovering what happens to us biologically (and nuerologically) when we cling, and how that shapes social behavior. Interesting ...
In 2001, an Internet search of the phrase “social cognitive neuroscience” yielded 53 hits. Now you get more than a million on Google. Young scholars have been drawn to this field from psychology, economics, political science and beyond in the hopes that by looking into the brain they can help settle some oldarguments about how people interact.
These people study the way biology, in the form of genes, influences behavior. But they’re also trying to understand the complementary process of how social behavior changes biology. Matthew Lieberman of U.C.L.A. is doing research into what happens in the brain when people are persuaded by an argument. [...]
The work demonstrates that we are awash in social signals, and any social science that treats individuals as discrete decision-making creatures is nonsense. But it also suggests that even though most of our reactions are fast and automatic, we still have free will and control. Many of the studies presented here concerned the way we divide people by in-group and out-group categories in as little as 170 milliseconds. [...]
Consciousness is too slow to see what happens inside, but it is possible to change the lenses through which we unconsciously construe the world.
Since I’m not an academic, I’m free to speculate that this work will someday give us new categories, which will replace misleading categories like ‘emotion’ and ‘reason.’ I suspect that the work will take us beyond the obsession with I.Q. and other conscious capacities and give us a firmer understanding of motivation, equilibrium, sensitivity and other unconscious capacities.
The hard sciences are interpenetrating the social sciences. This isn’t dehumanizing. It See full.

Just read David Brooks column that essentially speaks about how scientists are discovering what happens to us biologically (and nuerologically) when we cling, and how that shapes social behavior. Interesting ...

In 2001, an Internet search of the phrase “social cognitive neuroscience” yielded 53 hits. Now you get more than a million on Google. Young scholars have been drawn to this field from psychology, economics, political science and beyond in the hopes that by looking into the brain they can help settle some oldarguments about how people interact.

These people study the way biology, in the form of genes, influences behavior. But they’re also trying to understand the complementary process of how social behavior changes biology. Matthew Lieberman of U.C.L.A. is doing research into what happens in the brain when people are persuaded by an argument. [...]

The work demonstrates that we are awash in social signals, and any social science that treats individuals as discrete decision-making creatures is nonsense. But it also suggests that even though most of our reactions are fast and automatic, we still have free will and control. Many of the studies presented here concerned the way we divide people by in-group and out-group categories in as little as 170 milliseconds. [...]

Consciousness is too slow to see what happens inside, but it is possible to change the lenses through which we unconsciously construe the world.

Since I’m not an academic, I’m free to speculate that this work will someday give us new categories, which will replace misleading categories like ‘emotion’ and ‘reason.’ I suspect that the work will take us beyond the obsession with I.Q. and other conscious capacities and give us a firmer understanding of motivation, equilibrium, sensitivity and other unconscious capacities.

The hard sciences are interpenetrating the social sciences. This isn’t dehumanizing. It shines attention on the things poets have traditionally cared about: the power of human attachments. It may even help policy wonks someday see people as they really are.

On Jun 10, 2008Nipun wrote:
Dan Gottlieb has an incredible story -- a car crash in 1979 left him paralyzed and went through a lot of suffering; in 1985, he started a "voices in the Family" mental health show which turned into a bi-monthly column in Philadelphia Inquirer; and most recently he came out with a book, Letters From Sam (fully available on Google Books) which contained letters to his developmentally challenged grandson.
Incredible guy, indeed!

On May 8, 2007JZ wrote:
Richard Bach used to say, "The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change." I tend to agree.

Most business leaders shy away from the word "hope." Yet hope has been shown to be the key ingredient of resilience in survivors of traumas ranging from prison camps to natural disasters. So if you are an executive trying to lead an organization through change, know that hope can be a potent force in your favor. And itís yours to give.

Smile Deck: 52 cards with smile-card information and a particular idea on the back. If you had to pick one, what would it be?
Gwhyenth Chen -- touching and healing. "I want my performance to be healing." At one of her performances, she couldn't feel her hands. No one person was playing. Every single person in the audience, she was in touch with, and were playing through her. Juliard -- New York music school -- has created unbalanced geniuses; technically finest but many of them are unable to carry out conversations. Practice, practice, practice is their mantra.
Rev. Heng Sure: We have to ask ourselves -- Do I have a drive to be so good at something to spoil it? What is it? Whatever your skill, do I know how to stand the pressure of society, parents, peers ... to be so good that you can still maintain the center? How do we know? Middle path, that avoids extremes, works.
Ancients said that virtue is the root, and wealth is the branch tips.
Confucius had music as a part of education curriculum -- music, medicine, math, archery, chariotering, speech and virtue. He really valued music so highly. What if Juliard could establish a meditation class? Those musicians would be more important than politicans.
My cousin is an MD, who works with hospice patients, end of life patients. Just listens to them, making them come to ease. Just by being there, she heals. As she progressed, she was doing that over long distances. I tried that with my classmate's daughter, and it seems to have worked. There's something there. **Smile Deck idea: send positive thoughts to someone in need.
A friend did a study with 35 cancer patients. Did spiritual practices, didn't necessarily come from spiritual background, but all of them reported feeling a sense of wholeness, as if they were bigger than the body. Everyone got to space of peace.
Dialgoue -- comes from greek, dia-logos: meaning flowing through. Made me think of Victor Frankl, See full.

Smile Deck: 52 cards with smile-card information and a particular idea on the back. If you had to pick one, what would it be?

Gwhyenth Chen -- touching and healing. "I want my performance to be healing." At one of her performances, she couldn't feel her hands. No one person was playing. Every single person in the audience, she was in touch with, and were playing through her. Juliard -- New York music school -- has created unbalanced geniuses; technically finest but many of them are unable to carry out conversations. Practice, practice, practice is their mantra.

Rev. Heng Sure: We have to ask ourselves -- Do I have a drive to be so good at something to spoil it? What is it? Whatever your skill, do I know how to stand the pressure of society, parents, peers ... to be so good that you can still maintain the center? How do we know? Middle path, that avoids extremes, works.

Ancients said that virtue is the root, and wealth is the branch tips.

Confucius had music as a part of education curriculum -- music, medicine, math, archery, chariotering, speech and virtue. He really valued music so highly. What if Juliard could establish a meditation class? Those musicians would be more important than politicans.

My cousin is an MD, who works with hospice patients, end of life patients. Just listens to them, making them come to ease. Just by being there, she heals. As she progressed, she was doing that over long distances. I tried that with my classmate's daughter, and it seems to have worked. There's something there. **Smile Deck idea: send positive thoughts to someone in need.

A friend did a study with 35 cancer patients. Did spiritual practices, didn't necessarily come from spiritual background, but all of them reported feeling a sense of wholeness, as if they were bigger than the body. Everyone got to space of peace.

"Ourselves we are helping, ourselves we are healing." Quote by Dr. V. He gave sight to millions, healed others but he sees himself as being healed.

Have to have generosity towards myself. Helps me react less. **Smile Deck idea: Talk to a teen. Take them out for lunch. Our culture desperately needs inter-generational dialogue.

My mom left for India. Monday's quote was about elephants; calf was attached to mother. Very interesting that I saw that all together.

Went on a hike in the hills with a retired, senior citizen. At one point, I asked him about his knees (few years ago, I got into an accident and found that I tore my knee; chiropractor twisted and turned all parts of my body but somehow the knee was fixed!). He said that one of his friends was teaching yoga to monks and he tore his knees; his masters tells him to go to the desert to cultivate and upon his return, his knee pain is gone but his master was limping and stayed that way for his whole life!

Been working a lot. Been very conscious. Taking a three month leave of absence. **Smile Deck idea-- Leave my favorite poem in someone's cube, or a door; leave a favorite book and have somebody find it.

My mother has no background in medicine, yet she had this closet of medicine and we would always be fine in 10-15 minutes. When I grew up, I took medicine from the closet but it didn't work; so I asked her to give it and it would miraculously work! It was unbelievable but it worked even with our neighbors. It's not the medicine that heals, it's the love.

My dance theatre is one of the best oddissi dancers around. When she's on stage, she cries but I still think she's being authentic.

Being trained in western medicine, physician comes from power; healthy is very rigid idea in the mind of a physician and that is very limiting. In the movie K-Pax, Kevin Spacey is in a mental hospital because he claims to be from another planet. Psychologist asks him, "Are you willing to be believe that you might be from earth?" "Yes. But are you willing to believe that I might be from K-Pax!".

Healing can be divided into three levels. First level is like moving -- this is the basic medicine; second level, is like touching -- neuro-chemical response that produced a deeper impact on the patient; and perhaps even higher level is transcendence, irrespective of disease.

Touching only if you're being touched, is a powerful concept. Working with underprivileged children, it's very easy to see that.

Friend was going through a hard time; as he was entering a building, passed a security guard, and I security gaurd came out to say-- "I saw you in the camera and you looked a bit sad. Can I give you a hug?" Changed all dynamics. Someone at her center responded to the suffering and then offered a response. Makes me think of the number of accidental healers in the world!

I'm a teacher who works with behavioral problem students. One day when I was strategizing, I heard something in a classroom of 25 kids, all standing up looking at their desk, saying their times-table together in a chant. It was amazing.

**Smile Deck idea-- have a dialogue with yourself, ignore the cellphone.

Love is an important ingredient for healing.

My sister and I were running a bunch of errands. Sitting and talking. Our restaurant waiter was geniune and so nice in a unique sort of a way, so I felt like I wanted to do something for him. My sister and I look through our purses and ultimately, we left a note of ten bucks for him with a smile card. We were elated. What a great and simple way to make someone's day. It made everything more meaningful and for the rest of the day it just seemed like we kept running into great people, but perhaps it was just our eyes that had shifted.

One of the neighbors invited all the teachers for dinner saying, "I just want to appreciate the work you guys do." **Smile-deck idea.

Scientist discovered something called mirror neurons. Because of them, it becomes possible for us to actually feel and understand what's going with those around us. Touching isn't about transmission. It's more of one person touching that center and the collective space making it possible for another person to find their center.

Being vs. doing. Highest form of leadership is where you are not moving anyone, not persuading. Rather just because of your "Being", others are inspired to do something. **Smile Deck idea-- figure out what others lack and be an example of that change yourself.

What happens when people are touched? Beer ad-- knees touch of guys on a couch and it's awkwards. It happens again. When there's a touchdown, they all forget about their notions and embrace each other!

Path of enlightenment: a lonely path to understand that you're not alone.

Hindi movie, Munnabhai MBBS, starts hugging folks as a way to transform lives. Smile is big way to heal.

I'm overwhelmed by the kindness in this room tonight. I have done about 500 concerts so far, the happiness I was trying to bring my listeners is so selfish compared to what's in this room. My best performance, I didn't play for the audience but for the Boddhisattvas.

I love the idea of sharing idea but i have no ideas to share.

**Smile Deck idea -- appreciate people that nobody appreciate. Like the checkers at the airports. I try to create relationships with the folks I encounter. Even at Kaiser Permanente. If someone is extra nice, I try to tell their boss about it.

Serving like a mountain stream: its always changing.
Visit with 77 year old: biggest smile, happy to go to grocery shopping because it's an outing; smallest things matter.
Service: so many problems, can do so little. compassion -- it's Latin roots mean sharing the pain without sharing the suffering.
Busy doing good; you'll *just* get to heaven in next rebirth.
A meditation teacher used to say Boddhisattva's have nothing to do, but they go out looking for trouble.
You should be spiritual before you help. My friend would be disaapointed that he got only 80 people to donate blood that day.
Dream: skinny boy, I want to help but no one was listening; next morning I was giant and just being could create a torando.
Giving freely, without attachments, accounting.
Service was never a thing to do. All streams go towards the ocean.
Dalia Lama: "Be selfish. Be generous." Serving is actually the most selfish thing you can do.
How can you eradicate poverty?
I thought of NGOs. I went to Africa and saw that this model was broken; specific plans are limited. Visited 20-25 hospitals and none of them had sustainability plan.
People need to change their mind, then everything will change.
The more I teach, the more I learned. If you want to give, just give without attachment. Be natural.
Analogy of stream reminds me of Wednesdays. We all carry a little bit into Thursdays and Friday. There's a dynamism to it, with apparent permanence because it's always there.
I end up being lazy; sometimes, I'll just opportunities of service pass by.
Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask so much what the world needs; go out and do something that makes you come alive because what the world needs most are people who have come alive." Incorporate service into what makes you come alive.
I believe in directly helping the needy, without organization. Each one, catch one. :)
Flowing stream made me think about gratitude towards parents, t See full.

Serving like a mountain stream: its always changing.

Visit with 77 year old: biggest smile, happy to go to grocery shopping because it's an outing; smallest things matter.

Service: so many problems, can do so little. compassion -- it's Latin roots mean sharing the pain without sharing the suffering.

Busy doing good; you'll *just* get to heaven in next rebirth.

A meditation teacher used to say Boddhisattva's have nothing to do, but they go out looking for trouble.

You should be spiritual before you help. My friend would be disaapointed that he got only 80 people to donate blood that day.

Dream: skinny boy, I want to help but no one was listening; next morning I was giant and just being could create a torando.

Giving freely, without attachments, accounting.

Service was never a thing to do. All streams go towards the ocean.

Dalia Lama: "Be selfish. Be generous." Serving is actually the most selfish thing you can do.

How can you eradicate poverty?

I thought of NGOs. I went to Africa and saw that this model was broken; specific plans are limited. Visited 20-25 hospitals and none of them had sustainability plan.

People need to change their mind, then everything will change.

The more I teach, the more I learned. If you want to give, just give without attachment. Be natural.

Analogy of stream reminds me of Wednesdays. We all carry a little bit into Thursdays and Friday. There's a dynamism to it, with apparent permanence because it's always there.

I end up being lazy; sometimes, I'll just opportunities of service pass by.

Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask so much what the world needs; go out and do something that makes you come alive because what the world needs most are people who have come alive." Incorporate service into what makes you come alive.

I believe in directly helping the needy, without organization. Each one, catch one. :)

Flowing stream made me think about gratitude towards parents, teachers and friends. I felt humbled by their selfless help towards me.

Running outdoors; was really hot; I stopped and looked up the enormous trees and saw how it is so constant.

I tried to give food to the homleess, but I kept getting rejected. :)

I appreciate the diversity in the room, and the perspectives I get on it.

It's very easy to give to somebody who's close to you. Looking after a bonsai tree vs. looking after the forest. There's a danger of making the giving condescending.

Giving is a way to absolve ways to atone for my sins at work where it is "kill or be killed". How do you deal with that contradiction?

I can't remember a time when I gave. Is that ok?

Be careful what you give, because you might just receive it. :)

Rivers and clouds, examples in the quote, don't really have a choice. Humans aren't in that state of choicelessness.

What can you really give? Time. That's the only thing in abundance.

Ads shouldn't be in textbooks. On TV, you can turn it off. Then you will have teachers spending ten minutes talking about the commercials.

To alleviate poverty, ultimately, helping people help people. The moment you make it big, it falls apart.

Keyword here is unselfish. Act of giving can be selfish or unselfish.

Teachers in India taught Algebra while selling vegetables.

Simple things which I generally call "cute", I now see value in.

Service can go in a religious direction, which can lose its essence, because the focus shift from the giver to the receiver.

Service shouldn't be an emotional game; can't be evaluated soley by those metrics.

Was in South Africa, was adopted by an old couple, and I was following them in the poorest province of the area. They wanted to touch my skin, because they've never seen yellow people. :) I was just "hanging out" but it helps me and the locals.

Ego revels in accomplishment. Is service just a manifestion of that same ego?

Sanksrit Verse gives thre role models of service: tree which takes the heat of the sun and gives shade without discrimination; flowing river goes as if it's own nature and while flowing it bends and purifies all who come across it; cows are the third example, even after its death its parts are used by all.

Do what makes you come alive. Material poverty isn't really a metric to judge need by. Middle class neighborhood help is just as good as any.

Service isn't something I talk about. I showed at 13 and doing little things, and it changed my life.

My dog teaches me how to serve and be with others. We go to a quadrapelgic ward, some of whose patients don't get out.

While serving be mindful of their motives.

Giving water ... that's how my grandfather gave. They would sit down under their tree.

Wednesday circle of sharing notes:
Monkey puts his fist in the jar, grabs the nuts and can't remove his fist. Empty hand release him, but a tight fist traps. That's our story.
Anias Nin: "Life shrinks in proportion to one's courage." Courage is courage to embrace the unknown.
"waiting" has a negative connotation generally
When we need help, why doesn't the inner voice get louder?
Jealousy is the last sin to go; ambition leads to jealousy.
Am I ambitious? I used to be but now some of emptying has occured in me.
Inspiration that makes you not have plan B -- that's real inspiration. And it isn't a remarkable, external event.
College freshman: don't know what to do but maybe I should just wait patiently?
There are different levels of stillness.
God sells. An athiest won't get elected.
Survival, freedom and hope. That's inspiration for Barak Obama.
Singing requires being quiet. One has to keep trying. Takes a lot of patience.
In solitude, other people's voices drain out and I can listen to my own voice.
In winter, one friend would go out and come back in. Why? "Just in case the sun comes up, I wanna be ready."
Cooking quietly yields better food than otherwise. What about things more involved with cooking?
1% inspiration, 99% inspiration.
My gorilla mind: I think I'm in cage but the door is wide open.
When I put effort to listen, I can't listen too much.
Deep listening of others is a good analogy for how to be with yourself.
Intuitive moments are moments of inspiration
ICICI cpresident -- real inspiration always comes in a gap
A. R. Rahman: I don't write these songs; inspiration comes and I write.
Not just one-time inspiration but trick is in regularly finding it.
I am "looking" for inspiration, not waiting
Which college should I go to? "I know but I'm not going to tell you," my college advisor says. 'Any hints?' 'Goto the top of the hill. After all, isn't intuition thousands of years of evolution packed into one moment.'
He See full.

Anias Nin: "Life shrinks in proportion to one's courage." Courage is courage to embrace the unknown.

"waiting" has a negative connotation generally

When we need help, why doesn't the inner voice get louder?

Jealousy is the last sin to go; ambition leads to jealousy.

Am I ambitious? I used to be but now some of emptying has occured in me.

Inspiration that makes you not have plan B -- that's real inspiration. And it isn't a remarkable, external event.

College freshman: don't know what to do but maybe I should just wait patiently?

There are different levels of stillness.

God sells. An athiest won't get elected.

Survival, freedom and hope. That's inspiration for Barak Obama.

Singing requires being quiet. One has to keep trying. Takes a lot of patience.

In solitude, other people's voices drain out and I can listen to my own voice.

In winter, one friend would go out and come back in. Why? "Just in case the sun comes up, I wanna be ready."

Cooking quietly yields better food than otherwise. What about things more involved with cooking?

1% inspiration, 99% inspiration.

My gorilla mind: I think I'm in cage but the door is wide open.

When I put effort to listen, I can't listen too much.

Deep listening of others is a good analogy for how to be with yourself.

Intuitive moments are moments of inspiration

ICICI cpresident -- real inspiration always comes in a gap

A. R. Rahman: I don't write these songs; inspiration comes and I write.

Not just one-time inspiration but trick is in regularly finding it.

I am "looking" for inspiration, not waiting

Which college should I go to? "I know but I'm not going to tell you," my college advisor says. 'Any hints?' 'Goto the top of the hill. After all, isn't intuition thousands of years of evolution packed into one moment.'

Health: complete well being of physcial, social, emotional and spiritual being.

Carlos castaneda: "find your spot". Went to sleep after frustration and that his spot.

It's a "constant struggle to surrender"

Two types of inspiration: inspiration coupled with ambition, deeper inspiration that stems from stillness

To remove a blockage, to remove it, resort to a cherished relationship -- unconditional love.

On Jul 25, 2006Jesse wrote:
This poem is also referred to as 'Desiderata', for those familiar with that piece of work.
In some reference books, Desiderata is still sometimes thought to have been 'found' at Old St. Paul's Church in Baltimore and to date back to 1692. It was actually written by Max Ehrmann and copyrighted by him in 1927, the copyright was renewed in 1954 by Bertha K. Ehrmann.

What is silence? Not absence of sound, but absence of self.
Cause of conflict and war is our inability to stay in the present.
War is always for something in the future. Peace is always in the now.
Is peace transient or permanent?
Peace is no self
Essence of all of us is peace and love: when one feels it, it goes outwards
Peace for me could be a deep breath. Anything that leaves you with clarity.
I grew up in a war; nobody knew what peace really was. First step to peace is realizing it's possible.
Wars start because of groups -- and exclusive mindset.
Should we be hard on ourselves if there's war?
Peace is not the absence of hostility but the presence of love.
Three things that help me with peace: faith, acceptance and gratitude
If you wish to understand war, meditate in the slaughterhouse.
Five confusions: time, views, afflictions, living beings, life span.
Degrees of wisdom have very little to do with external. Equanimity is the supreme measure.
Cool book name -- one minute wisdom. Another name: no second.
Rev. Heng Sure: easier to meditate through downtown LA, than Beverly Hills. BH had fake peace.
Person who tolerates injustice is weak
Be peaceful but watch out for tigers
Research: people who think they're lucky are able to find things that unlucky people don't look for.
Disaster in Russia, Oaklahoma bombing -- we need to change.
Duality of the heart -- we need time to come to the right decisions; we need to stop haste.
Peace is within. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you're sitting on?" "Nothing, " replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember. "Ever look inside?," asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point, there's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar, reluctantly, managed to pry open the lid. With astonishme See full.

What is silence? Not absence of sound, but absence of self.

Cause of conflict and war is our inability to stay in the present.

War is always for something in the future. Peace is always in the now.

Is peace transient or permanent?

Peace is no self

Essence of all of us is peace and love: when one feels it, it goes outwards

Peace for me could be a deep breath. Anything that leaves you with clarity.

I grew up in a war; nobody knew what peace really was. First step to peace is realizing it's possible.

Wars start because of groups -- and exclusive mindset.

Should we be hard on ourselves if there's war?

Peace is not the absence of hostility but the presence of love.

Three things that help me with peace: faith, acceptance and gratitude

If you wish to understand war, meditate in the slaughterhouse.

Five confusions: time, views, afflictions, living beings, life span.

Degrees of wisdom have very little to do with external. Equanimity is the supreme measure.

Research: people who think they're lucky are able to find things that unlucky people don't look for.

Disaster in Russia, Oaklahoma bombing -- we need to change.

Duality of the heart -- we need time to come to the right decisions; we need to stop haste.

Peace is within. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you're sitting on?" "Nothing, " replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember. "Ever look inside?," asked the stranger. "No," said the beggar. "What's the point, there's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The beggar, reluctantly, managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

We had a spontaneous guest speaker, a Gandhian named Dr. Prasad:
How people react depends on the mindset
Basic problem in rural areas -- what do we live for?
We're all responsible for each other
Life based development, not death based development.
If every villager has a cigarette, we can make money but is that progress?
Exploitation has taken subtle forms -- advertisment, marketing
Greed is the base of the problem -- we are creating more and more loss to society.
Instead of creating wealth, our paradigm has come to grabbing maximum wealth. As Gandhi said, there is enough for everyone's need but not greed.
Some notes from the roundtable:
Are organization are useless? Not always.
As organizations get larger, purity is lost.
Organization can't lead to freedom ... it's not spirituality.
El dorado by Edgar Allan Poe
Truth -- there's no one truth; it's all true. But until we experience it, it's just a belief.
It's not enough to hear somebody's truth.
Words don't describe things as well as experiences.
Truth is one thing that manifests in different ways; love's opposite is hate, pleasure is pain, but Truth has no opposite.
To find one's blind beliefs, one should question oneself.
Is killing is a natural part of life or can it be avoided? What's the "truth"?
Krishnamurti's brother's death proved to be a pivotal experience for JK's journey to a "pathless" land.
Truth has to be internal and personal; that can't be organized; but for practical things, people should come together and cooperate
Be quiet for truth to rise; no longer a question of right or wrong
One life is the same as many lives
Don't lie, you gotta go to God, there's no means of transport and you gotta walk your way
Krishnamurti has a point but it's overstated.
Karen Armstrong.
What's the difference between religion and cult? "Religion is to help you discover yourself but a cult is to use your weakness to manipulate you."
Confucious: you can make someone follow your s See full.

We had a spontaneous guest speaker, a Gandhian named Dr. Prasad:

How people react depends on the mindset

Basic problem in rural areas -- what do we live for?

We're all responsible for each other

Life based development, not death based development.

If every villager has a cigarette, we can make money but is that progress?

Exploitation has taken subtle forms -- advertisment, marketing

Greed is the base of the problem -- we are creating more and more loss to society.

Instead of creating wealth, our paradigm has come to grabbing maximum wealth. As Gandhi said, there is enough for everyone's need but not greed.

What is it that we are being present to?
What the bleep do we know: 400 billion impressions per second, 2000 conscious ones.
Is it time to love, or timelessness to love?
Smile cards and increasing awareness of possible acts of kindness.
Celestine Prophecy: coincidences.
Stand by me.
Nothing is coincidence, but the meaning is not always so
obvious.
Sitting silently with parents in childhood on early morning sundays going through the paper. Still a very strong feeling of sharing love & presence, even though nothing in particular was being done.
Many missed opportunities to do random acts of kindness.
Be prepared always to give.
If you don't understand my silence, how will you
understand my words?
Just by being rich doesn't necessarily mean that you
cannot love.
This thought caused tears several times. Usually every
week thought is not easy to put in practice immediately,
this one weighed heavy because it was so easy to implement.
"Love" is such a loaded word, hard to know when you are
truly feeling it.
Came to feel Love through appreciation for another.
Is there a difference between presence and attentiveness?
What made mom happy when all family was at home on a
weekend? just being alive, playing around, mildly arguing -
not necessarily praising or paying attention to her.
Don't ask what the world needs, do what makes you come
alive, because what the world needs most is people who have
come alive (Howard Thurman)
It would help to know context of quote, because to us it
may sound simplistic, but it might have been tailored for a
different audience.
It's difficult to be present without being attemptive.
If you cannot connect and feel how another person is, it is
hard to be present.
As an experiment, sometimes going up to people and saying
"I Love you" in different tones.
Being balanced is a part of being present. Being present
is necessary to be balanced.
Feel blessed to be raised in a household where Love was
freely shared, See full.

Sitting silently with parents in childhood on early morning sundays going through the paper. Still a very strong feeling of sharing love & presence, even though nothing in particular was being done.

Many missed opportunities to do random acts of kindness.
Be prepared always to give.

If you don't understand my silence, how will you
understand my words?

Just by being rich doesn't necessarily mean that you
cannot love.

This thought caused tears several times. Usually every
week thought is not easy to put in practice immediately,
this one weighed heavy because it was so easy to implement.

"Love" is such a loaded word, hard to know when you are
truly feeling it.

Came to feel Love through appreciation for another.

Is there a difference between presence and attentiveness?

What made mom happy when all family was at home on a
weekend? just being alive, playing around, mildly arguing -
not necessarily praising or paying attention to her.

Don't ask what the world needs, do what makes you come
alive, because what the world needs most is people who have
come alive (Howard Thurman)

It would help to know context of quote, because to us it
may sound simplistic, but it might have been tailored for a
different audience.

It's difficult to be present without being attemptive.
If you cannot connect and feel how another person is, it is
hard to be present.

As an experiment, sometimes going up to people and saying
"I Love you" in different tones.

Being balanced is a part of being present. Being present
is necessary to be balanced.

Feel blessed to be raised in a household where Love was
freely shared, verbally and in silence. Now as children are
grown up, when say "I Love youW" to dad, response is "You
need money don't you?" .. don't just say it, show you Love
someone. Just saying the words can be a copout.

There are no great acts, only small acts done with great
Love (Mother Teresa).

Sometimes it's worth telling someone else you are there
for them, even if the silent presence is strong.

Why do we always equate Loving with an object of that
Love?

When raising children, equating taking care of them with
Love which implies not being present with them often.

Notion of presence as pre-sense, a state of being before
perceiving through the senses.

Silence is always a dance between action & inaction. You
cannot take silence as something that comes before & after
something, it is something that lasts throughout - true
presence.

Favorite quote: Faith is a withholding of conclusion, so
you allow what is to arise. --Adyashanti.

Love and thankfullness are topics which everyone can
share something about.

In Italian families, meals are the religion. Did not
appreciate it as youth, but now realize meals are just about
being present, sharing the experience.

Children are very present. They can feel very
passionately in one moment, and forget it the next. Being with kids
rubs off.

Is presence contagious?

Compassion is rooted in understanding.

Fear blocks presence

Appreciation for the depth of today's conversation,
whereas usually there is a feeling of rushing.

Sometimes it's best not to analyze these things, Love,
balance, etc .. they are interconnected. Live it.

At work, many people kept e-mailing back & forth while sitting three seats away from each other. When stuck in your habits, you do not realize how seperate you feel.
Sign on a liqour store billboard "The weather changes, so will your mind".
Underlying all thoughts lie a thought seed which when given attention starts to whirl awareness like stars around a galaxy - this is fantasy. We are drawn to different thought-seeds by our likes and dislikes. What we mainly consider our identity is just our awareness being pulled in many directions by all these thought vortices. By recognizing that attention is caught up in these vortices based on seed thoughts, you can free awareness from fantasy and from getting stuck in polarity.
Meditation brings us to the state where we are a complete clean slate, without prejudgements.
A relative passing causes sorrow, feeling many unsaid things left, sorrow
related to feeling of "Why did I not behave like the right me
around that person? Why did I wait to say things?"
You can be distinct while still feeling interconnected -
like hands on a finger or waves on an ocean.
Grew up in cold weather and hated it, but realizing it
was due to prejudgements about how weather was bad. Now
in-the-moment, just appreciating the value that the snowstorm
brings.
Story of Black Elk chanting on a blue sky day, clouds
appeared and rain poured just on him and the observers.
When flying in a jet, whilest in the clouds the plane
shakes and vibrates, but above them everything is clear and
sunny.
At school discussing ethnicity & race in the United
States, every week featuring a seperate ethnicity. Each
different background would remind of own personal history, though
seemingly seperate, we have much in common.
Life is just a collection of thoughts. Maybe thoughts &
dreams change so that life doesn't get boring.
Really liked relating weather to change. Just observing
change in life as natural as the weather chan See full.

At work, many people kept e-mailing back & forth while sitting three seats away from each other. When stuck in your habits, you do not realize how seperate you feel.

Sign on a liqour store billboard "The weather changes, so will your mind".

Underlying all thoughts lie a thought seed which when given attention starts to whirl awareness like stars around a galaxy - this is fantasy. We are drawn to different thought-seeds by our likes and dislikes. What we mainly consider our identity is just our awareness being pulled in many directions by all these thought vortices. By recognizing that attention is caught up in these vortices based on seed thoughts, you can free awareness from fantasy and from getting stuck in polarity.

Meditation brings us to the state where we are a complete clean slate, without prejudgements.

A relative passing causes sorrow, feeling many unsaid things left, sorrow
related to feeling of "Why did I not behave like the right me
around that person? Why did I wait to say things?"

You can be distinct while still feeling interconnected -
like hands on a finger or waves on an ocean.

Grew up in cold weather and hated it, but realizing it
was due to prejudgements about how weather was bad. Now
in-the-moment, just appreciating the value that the snowstorm
brings.

Story of Black Elk chanting on a blue sky day, clouds
appeared and rain poured just on him and the observers.

When flying in a jet, whilest in the clouds the plane
shakes and vibrates, but above them everything is clear and
sunny.

At school discussing ethnicity & race in the United
States, every week featuring a seperate ethnicity. Each
different background would remind of own personal history, though
seemingly seperate, we have much in common.

Life is just a collection of thoughts. Maybe thoughts &
dreams change so that life doesn't get boring.

Really liked relating weather to change. Just observing
change in life as natural as the weather changing is very
relieving.

Recently took a Kayaking trip in Hawaii, had to walk
through mud and rain - there was not much else to think about,
time flew by.

Malu is expecting a baby!!

Osho used to jump in whirlpools and see himself caught up
in them. He would swirl until he reached the center and
then he would be pulled out of the whirlpool completely.

The more aware we are of this reality that everything
changes, the better prepared we are. Question to the group -
How prepared are we for the inevitable changes in life?

There are a number of interesting techniques in loosening
the bond that language holds over "I", "Me" .. one of them
is to stop using the words all-together. For example,
instead of "I think" use "There is a thought" - very freeing
because not owned by thoughts.

If you give up all labels, you will also have to give up
thinking itself.

Response to how to prepare to change: Looking at a photo
album of 10 years back, experiencing sadness, lost sense of
youth, sense of innocence, sense of openness.

Three Zen students were sitting with their Master. Two
of them had been arguing all day. The first one laid down
his case and after listening closely the Master said "Yes,
you are right." Then the second one took offense and
explained his point of view, "Yes, you are right" said the
Master. The third one then spoke out and said "Master, I'm
confused, first you tell him he is right, then you tell the
other he is right, this does not make sense" .. "Yes," The
Master replied, "You are right too!"

What will you do if you win the lottery? I will retire.
What will you do when you retire?

Question posed to a Zen Monk, what would you do if you
had 15 minutes left to live? Reply: What's wrong with this?

Guy Kawasaki, one of the Macintosh inventors: "Maybe you have mistaken me for a creative type. I'm not creative. I just work like a dog. If people think writing is about releasing the creative muse with a fountain pen on a windswept beach while sipping cappuccinos, they're on drugs. Writing is about editing, and editing is about grinding it out. Speaking is the same. Speaking is about repetition and polishing, working on a speech and giving it dozens of times until it sounds spontaneous."
Robin Williams, same act on two different shows and made it seem spontaneous both times.
Creativity is bringing to bear your personality to the seeds that have been planted for a long time
architecture: it's not something that just comes ot you; you actually have to do something
article: science drives art; as technology improves, capability of art improves.
creative -- the word means to create something different; why? to stand out. why? because you need identity.
Most scientists find the solution first, and then look for a problem.
Why do we need to be creative?
Ever existing, ever new joy -- nature of our being. creativity is to tune into that root nature. Becoming co-creators.
Where does silence fit into creativity? silence between the notes defines the creativity of the music
not getting caught up in hope.
We are all already creative, it's just a matter of discovering it.
I see creativity in people who do the same things, but constantly find new ways to do them.
Everyone has a little bit of creativity. I get something new from every person I meet.
When I sculpt, all that exists is the stone and the tools I'm using - my mind doesn't chatter.
At 8 years old I was diagnosed with moderately severe hearing loss, it was tough to reconcile silence, not wanting to miss anything which might have been said. It took a lot to get comfortable with the sound of silence.
Sign language is a whole form of expression based on silence.
Creativity is part of liv See full.

Guy Kawasaki, one of the Macintosh inventors: "Maybe you have mistaken me for a creative type. I'm not creative. I just work like a dog. If people think writing is about releasing the creative muse with a fountain pen on a windswept beach while sipping cappuccinos, they're on drugs. Writing is about editing, and editing is about grinding it out. Speaking is the same. Speaking is about repetition and polishing, working on a speech and giving it dozens of times until it sounds spontaneous."

Robin Williams, same act on two different shows and made it seem spontaneous both times.

Creativity is bringing to bear your personality to the seeds that have been planted for a long time
architecture: it's not something that just comes ot you; you actually have to do something
article: science drives art; as technology improves, capability of art improves.
creative -- the word means to create something different; why? to stand out. why? because you need identity.

Most scientists find the solution first, and then look for a problem.

Why do we need to be creative?

Ever existing, ever new joy -- nature of our being. creativity is to tune into that root nature. Becoming co-creators.

Where does silence fit into creativity? silence between the notes defines the creativity of the music
not getting caught up in hope.

We are all already creative, it's just a matter of discovering it.

I see creativity in people who do the same things, but constantly find new ways to do them.

Everyone has a little bit of creativity. I get something new from every person I meet.

When I sculpt, all that exists is the stone and the tools I'm using - my mind doesn't chatter.

At 8 years old I was diagnosed with moderately severe hearing loss, it was tough to reconcile silence, not wanting to miss anything which might have been said. It took a lot to get comfortable with the sound of silence.

Sign language is a whole form of expression based on silence.

Creativity is part of livingness, my grandmother needed it as much as I need oxygen.

My creative superheroes are people who have Contagious Faith without unnecessarily bowing to social conditioning, but rather living their own truth.

When eating food, does my body create energy?

"Silence is not the absence of sound, rather it is the absence of Self"

Creativity abounds in nature - six billion people on this planet and no two are the same!

An artist told me that when creating there is no drive to do anything in particular, creativity just comes.

Creativity is something you can catch only if you are there, like waking early to catch the most beautiful sunrise. It might take practice, practice, practice to be present for that moment.

To create doesn't have to be something new, it just has to come from you.

Henry James said "I think creativity is in the all" - for me, it's not about What I create, like creating something profound, but I do know how marvelous I feel when I am creative, it makes me free, makes me loving.

Creativity is the sustained attention to the freedom within movement

Faith is a withholding of conclusion so you allow what is to arise. Silence is the withholding of conclusion so you allow what is to arise.

An artist is not a special kind of person, every person is a special kind of artist.

"Wait without hope, because hope can be hope of the wrong thing" T.S. Elliot

"Service doesn't start when you have something to give, it starts when you have nothing left to take" Nipun Mehta

We don't really have a choice to be not creative. When we say creativity, we are referring to the mystery, the ah-ha of the choices life gives us.

Silence is not just the absence of sound, it is a state of tranquility.

Creative role model seems to be a contradiction in terms.

There's a couplet in Urdu "My silence echoed in such a way that I was hearing answers from all directions."

How does the drive to creativity bring us back to balance, to inner silence & steadiness? When you push down a spring, the closer you are to the base, the root and the more force you are creating. Similarly, the closer you are to your own root, your own nature, the more creative force you have.

Rev. Heng Sure was our guest speaker and while his stories are best experienced in person, below are some of the key points we heard ...
Christmas means lots of things to lots of people; to some it's about shopping, to some about consumerism, to some it's about vacation, to some it's about religion. But to us it's about giving. And to have you in our home to share that space of service is a privilege for us. Tonight's guest speaker is Rev. Heng Sure, who needs no introduction.
Story about Spiritual Technology (from Rev. Heng Sure's blog)
There's the receiver's happiness at getting "gifts". But the giver benefits even more.
To be able to give is to practice the art of happiness.
Giving is wonderful, getting is wonderful, but what happens after the joy of giving and receiving? Post-gratitude school? Empowering givers? I hope everyone can become post-gratitude graduate. :)
Saraswati (any diety) is just as close as your next thought.
Nipun's India trip will be empowering the "Dao Jones" ticker tape: one service story after another rolling in front of your eyes.
The more your eyes and ears open, the more you see suffering. And after seeing so much false, people long to see something true, to experience first hand.
In communication, words are often superflouus; the hearts are talking. And some people just get it.
At a wedding, for example, everyone is really happy. But can you hold all that happiness? Some traditions say: if I feel really happy, there's something wrong with me.
What we need is spiritual technology to deal with happiness. The answer is that you're on your own.
We're not equipped to deal with joy -- we call it overjoyed, something out of the norm.
Here's the technology we need: dedicating merit. The idea is that you don't have to hold the happiness. If your self is wanting to keep all that, no way; it's like trying to hold sound. Sounds doesn't stop; neither does happiness.
Dedication of See full.

Rev. Heng Sure was our guest speaker and while his stories are best experienced in person, below are some of the key points we heard ...

Christmas means lots of things to lots of people; to some it's about shopping, to some about consumerism, to some it's about vacation, to some it's about religion. But to us it's about giving. And to have you in our home to share that space of service is a privilege for us. Tonight's guest speaker is Rev. Heng Sure, who needs no introduction.

There's the receiver's happiness at getting "gifts". But the giver benefits even more.

To be able to give is to practice the art of happiness.

Giving is wonderful, getting is wonderful, but what happens after the joy of giving and receiving? Post-gratitude school? Empowering givers? I hope everyone can become post-gratitude graduate. :)

Saraswati (any diety) is just as close as your next thought.

Nipun's India trip will be empowering the "Dao Jones" ticker tape: one service story after another rolling in front of your eyes.

The more your eyes and ears open, the more you see suffering. And after seeing so much false, people long to see something true, to experience first hand.

In communication, words are often superflouus; the hearts are talking. And some people just get it.

At a wedding, for example, everyone is really happy. But can you hold all that happiness? Some traditions say: if I feel really happy, there's something wrong with me.

What we need is spiritual technology to deal with happiness. The answer is that you're on your own.

We're not equipped to deal with joy -- we call it overjoyed, something out of the norm.

Here's the technology we need: dedicating merit. The idea is that you don't have to hold the happiness. If your self is wanting to keep all that, no way; it's like trying to hold sound. Sounds doesn't stop; neither does happiness.

Dedication of merit says: as happy as I am, may all in my situation, may all folks in all other situation, may they also feel this happiness that I'm feeling. Pass it on, with a boost.

The more you give, the more you have to give it away. It's not from you, it's through you. you don't have to own it.

Confuscius: keep joy anger sorrow and happiness in appropriate measure. Once you learn that, you reciprocate. Then it's in harmony.

You can teach man to eat tofu, or so him to plant soy beans (vegetarian version of teaching someone to fish :)).

Tsunami: how do you see it? Destruction, response of service, good news?
What is your intention of the year?
Be the change you wish to see. But also see the change you wish to be.
If you want to see truth, you'll see truth. If you want to see God, you'll see God.
Blind Swordsmen (movie: Zatiochi): blind character but he can see a lot.
Be like the sun that doesn't discriminate: no moods, depression ... just give light.
Can't repress the bad by only seeing the good, but have to respond positively.
My cousin was on the beach and saw the tsunami first hand; was shaken up!
Ramakrishna cleaned bathroom with his hair ... to break the barrier of the good/bad.
Wednesday unplugged: highlight of my week!
Secret to 20 good meditations in two days -- skiing! Going down the slopes, I had no memory, no thought.
Kids experiencing the tsunami: will they remember? I can't recollect when I fell off the top berth in a train.
What we preceive is made up of so many things -- made me realize that everyone is so unique. Yet we're similar and we all respond to good. That's amazing.
Someone on the internet said they'll callup my family that's local; somehow it worked!
Smile story, a truly anonymous one, of giving ride to some drunk folks outside a bar.
Christmas gift: perception shift with my mom.
What you are, you see also. And you are what you see. So how do you change your patterns? Everyone is seeing it from their own perspectives. How do you change that?
Intention of the year: be here.
Patti's birthday is July 20th.
Goenka story: seeing someone drop the rolex is one thing; dropping it yourself is another thing.
See each action and try to get as many different perspectives as you can.
Intention of the year: continue working on compassion; first with myself and then let it automatically flow outward.
How do you respond to the tsunami? Don't know. Just be patient.
To get there, you need a first step here.
World's response is amazing. It's amazing that See full.

Tsunami: how do you see it? Destruction, response of service, good news?

What is your intention of the year?

Be the change you wish to see. But also see the change you wish to be.

If you want to see truth, you'll see truth. If you want to see God, you'll see God.

Blind Swordsmen (movie: Zatiochi): blind character but he can see a lot.

Be like the sun that doesn't discriminate: no moods, depression ... just give light.

Can't repress the bad by only seeing the good, but have to respond positively.

My cousin was on the beach and saw the tsunami first hand; was shaken up!

Ramakrishna cleaned bathroom with his hair ... to break the barrier of the good/bad.

Wednesday unplugged: highlight of my week!

Secret to 20 good meditations in two days -- skiing! Going down the slopes, I had no memory, no thought.

Kids experiencing the tsunami: will they remember? I can't recollect when I fell off the top berth in a train.

What we preceive is made up of so many things -- made me realize that everyone is so unique. Yet we're similar and we all respond to good. That's amazing.

Someone on the internet said they'll callup my family that's local; somehow it worked!

Smile story, a truly anonymous one, of giving ride to some drunk folks outside a bar.

Christmas gift: perception shift with my mom.

What you are, you see also. And you are what you see. So how do you change your patterns? Everyone is seeing it from their own perspectives. How do you change that?

Intention of the year: be here.

Patti's birthday is July 20th.

Goenka story: seeing someone drop the rolex is one thing; dropping it yourself is another thing.

See each action and try to get as many different perspectives as you can.

Intention of the year: continue working on compassion; first with myself and then let it automatically flow outward.

How do you respond to the tsunami? Don't know. Just be patient.

To get there, you need a first step here.

World's response is amazing. It's amazing that the heart can quiver with such pain.

Difference between goals and intention -- Phillip Muffett article -- intention you live out every single day. Goals come and go.

Terrance Mckenna: how language creates our world. We end up naming things. that carriers are barrier with the act of experiencing it.

A friend gave me the gift of a Thai word: it meant that feeling of frustrated, lost, etc. indicated that you are on the path to enlightenment. What a relief. English doesn't have that word.

Should we absorb things as they are? Or should we have some blinders?

Very few animals killed in the Tsunami; the fish are just going with the flow!

Advice for a pilgrimage ...
respect everyone, not criticize, be balanced, no lies, don't steal.
My offering to you: reciting the Earth Store Boddhisattva chant 10,000 times.
In some way things can never stay the same, especially after a pilgrimage.
Connect with everyone, every single person.
When tiny things upset you, push it further. Crank it up.
Pilgrimage is in our nature. Take me with you.
Getting out of your comfort zone ... sense of openness comes alive in you.
Make sure you have a return tickets. :)
Quote-a-day: at the end it doesn't matter how many years you've lived, but rather the life in those years. Just live!
I'll sing my offering: seven lines of the poem that starts with-- every step is a destination, through an ancient nation, not in a rush not a run.
Should a return be immiment? Maybe, maybe not.
Hiking in Africa, I came down a slightly different path. Creates the most amazing view. Take it on with an adventurous spirit.
Stay honest.
No short cut to any place worth going to.
Make driking water a routine.
I came to wednesdays through sheer chance; I offer my gratitude
Keep doing what you've been doing
As you travel, you enter the unkown; don't let that distract. Remain equanmious.
Follow your hearts, live in the moments.
Moving, changes, journey: whenever you leave a place, you leave behind pieces of yourself. Instead of leaving pieces, for me it's about finding pieces. Build your jigsaw puzzles as you must.
I regret the pieces of myself that will be going away.
Knowledge obscures reality.
My wish for you to is to have lots and lots of fun.
Indian version of "The Motorcycle Dairies" ...
Take it as it comes
Feel really privileged to have the opportunity to go
Wednesdays make me find my balance. Thank you.
Dancing like a free spirit.
Janani's Sanskri sloka as a blessing.
An experience with Shilapiji at CTTB was the beginning of much. If I wasn't open to life, I wouldn't have felt it. Be open.
Best travel m See full.

All of our skills compliment one anotherís, we do not all have to be the same.

You can have lots of zeroís but if you donít have a one in front of the zeroís, you have nothing.

Itís not always so clear to know what is really the main thing, often you have to try many things until the main one becomes clear.

Main thing is to be honest towards yourself.

When spiritual interests developed in me, in the beginning I would read all sorts of ideas other people had about questions I couldnít quite answer. Later, I decided to just walk the path and now Iíve noticed that those same questions donít even matter.

Kindness to one another without judgement is the main thing.

We need to respect what other people know and who they are. We have to accept people as they are.

I always question what path I should take in my life, but I know the path is already laid out and all I need to do is take the steps to walk it.

Knowing truth and supporting others in expressing their own truth is what makes me come alive.

Main thing for me is, donít be selfish, which is difficult because we all have a self!

Everyone has a mission in life, to be constantly seeking what it is, is the main thing.

Aside from the unconscious internal computer and the
conscious logical analytical mind, there is also what is
called the superconscious, that aspect of our beings which is
aligned with the principles of the cosmos. Whereas the
feelings we get from the unconscious are called instinct, the
feelings from our superconscious are intuition

Things we see as random are not so random when looked on
a different scale. Though we may see thousands and
thousands of white swans, the moment we see a black swan we cannot
say all swans are white anymore.

I used to enjoy taking photos, but now that I've taken a
class I don't know how to take good photos anymore because
I keep thinking of all the adjustments I need to make on
the camera.

How can we dip into our superconscious mind?

During pregnancy my sister read so many books about
babies, pregnancy, birth etc.. .. three days after giving
birth, the baby could not stop crying. Later on they realized
you cannot put a schedule around a baby, you have to use
your natural born instinct to take care of it.

Most of us live in our heads a majority of our time
without allowing our other intelligences play a role. Intuition
and instincts are not experiences just of our heads.

Most people keep asking what is my swadharma, what is it
I'm here to do? Vinobhe Bhave says if it's really your
purpose, it should be effortless, but we've created so many
blockages due to all sorts of conditionings. Our task is to
peel off these conditioned layers and who we are will
naturally arise.

What if our base desires are greed or anger, will acting
out of instinct be the best thing to do?

Every person carries some sort of a 'vibe' which reflect
their thoughts and emotions. People who themselves are
cleared of much conditioning and thought can see these on
others.

In your experience, how difficult have you found it to remain balanced and to conquer anger & delusion?
There are some easily identifiable milestones, like servicing others, being in balance etc. One could start there.
The thought really mesmerised me and saw the irony of it: I am getting attached to the thought they is asking us go beyond the mind!
I see sub milestones... and some sign board. But I do not want to expect the arrival. I want to cross the milestones and then realize it instead of expecting it constantly.
The changes need to start from outside too as what is external has a lot of influence on us.
We get caught in the pattern. You think you are getting somewhere and then realize you have forgotten,
India has givnen ineternal peace to many for a long time and also has espoused the importance of Sakthi (strength). Perhaps his early years of advocacy for violence was his way of trying to bring a balance between peace and shakthi.
When I do anything from fear, I want to escape. But when I do anything from love, I feel peaceful.
As long as I was giving importance to happiness, I experienced a lot of high and low. But these days I just feel good.
I have managed to raise my awareness of myself.. but don't know how to go from there.
If you break a bone and set it wrongly, you need to rebreak it to set it right. Similarly, sometimes you may have to rebreak certain things in life, however painful it is, to get back to a state of new possibility.
One cannot solve a problem from the same level of thinking that created it (Einstien). So it is with self growth. I constantly try to not operate from what I already know.
Evolution is a fairly recent concept in humanity. So spirituality itself is evolving.
People might have experienced timelessness, but haven't yet figured how to express in time.
Wisdom tells me I am nothing, Love tells me I am everything and I walk between the two!
Intellectually knowing anything is not See full.

In your experience, how difficult have you found it to remain balanced and to conquer anger & delusion?

There are some easily identifiable milestones, like servicing others, being in balance etc. One could start there.

The thought really mesmerised me and saw the irony of it: I am getting attached to the thought they is asking us go beyond the mind!

I see sub milestones... and some sign board. But I do not want to expect the arrival. I want to cross the milestones and then realize it instead of expecting it constantly.

The changes need to start from outside too as what is external has a lot of influence on us.

We get caught in the pattern. You think you are getting somewhere and then realize you have forgotten,

India has givnen ineternal peace to many for a long time and also has espoused the importance of Sakthi (strength). Perhaps his early years of advocacy for violence was his way of trying to bring a balance between peace and shakthi.

When I do anything from fear, I want to escape. But when I do anything from love, I feel peaceful.

As long as I was giving importance to happiness, I experienced a lot of high and low. But these days I just feel good.

I have managed to raise my awareness of myself.. but don't know how to go from there.

If you break a bone and set it wrongly, you need to rebreak it to set it right. Similarly, sometimes you may have to rebreak certain things in life, however painful it is, to get back to a state of new possibility.

One cannot solve a problem from the same level of thinking that created it (Einstien). So it is with self growth. I constantly try to not operate from what I already know.

Evolution is a fairly recent concept in humanity. So spirituality itself is evolving.

People might have experienced timelessness, but haven't yet figured how to express in time.

Wisdom tells me I am nothing, Love tells me I am everything and I walk between the two!

Intellectually knowing anything is not the same as "really" knowing it.

had mixed reactions to this thought, especially the
speaking in polarities.
Was reading this book called "blink" about the power of
thinking without thinking.
"Sometimes your joy is the reason for your smile.
Sometimes your smile is the reason for your joy " Thich Naht
Hanh
"Be careful when you are fighting a monster, else you
might become the monster" (paraphrase) Freidrich Nietzche
"You must be like water, taking the shape of the
container you are in" Bruce Lee
Where is the line between playing the game and being an
observer?
"Be selfish, be generous" The Dalai Lama
Everybody thinks there should not be wars, but what are
you going to do about it?
A key of martial arts is training yourself not to think
about what the right thing to do is, but just doing the
right thing.
While working in the community, a few weeks ago someone
twice my size decided to rush me with malicious intent.
There was no thought in my mind, but my actions naturally
tended to use his weight against him, but without hurting him,
even with years of martial arts training I've had. After a
few minutes he looked at my eyes and said "we will never do
this again" and hugged me. We are now close friends.
Interestingly, mindfulness is what leads to no-mind
A friend of mine was killed in Iraq last saturday. She
went there to serve and work with civilians who were hurt
by the war. She lived the principles of this quote. Her
last words were "I'm Alive" please check out her
organization, http://www.civicworldwide.org
What is the difference between being present in
something and being lost in it? When lost in it, you are fully
involved, but not aware that you are. When you are present
with it, you are still fully involved, but are aware that you
are in it, yet still see it from a more expanded
perspective.
Often as we get older our natural ability to be in touch
with a deeper self that came so easy as See full.

had mixed reactions to this thought, especially the
speaking in polarities.

Was reading this book called "blink" about the power of
thinking without thinking.

"Be careful when you are fighting a monster, else you
might become the monster" (paraphrase) Freidrich Nietzche

"You must be like water, taking the shape of the
container you are in" Bruce Lee

Where is the line between playing the game and being an
observer?

"Be selfish, be generous" The Dalai Lama

Everybody thinks there should not be wars, but what are
you going to do about it?

A key of martial arts is training yourself not to think
about what the right thing to do is, but just doing the
right thing.

While working in the community, a few weeks ago someone
twice my size decided to rush me with malicious intent.
There was no thought in my mind, but my actions naturally
tended to use his weight against him, but without hurting him,
even with years of martial arts training I've had. After a
few minutes he looked at my eyes and said "we will never do
this again" and hugged me. We are now close friends.

Interestingly, mindfulness is what leads to no-mind

A friend of mine was killed in Iraq last saturday. She
went there to serve and work with civilians who were hurt
by the war. She lived the principles of this quote. Her
last words were "I'm Alive" please check out her
organization, http://www.civicworldwide.org

What is the difference between being present in
something and being lost in it? When lost in it, you are fully
involved, but not aware that you are. When you are present
with it, you are still fully involved, but are aware that you
are in it, yet still see it from a more expanded
perspective.

Often as we get older our natural ability to be in touch
with a deeper self that came so easy as a child gets
assailed and covered by doubts. Mindfulness can be used as a
tool to clear these doubts and allow what we already know to
come to the surface.

Ocham's razor is a principle stating that the simplest
explanation is often the correct one.

The founder of Aikido said when someone came to attack
him, they immediately fractured their relation to the
universe and his task was to take their weakness and return it
into harmony.

Sveta & Fred are engaged!

"You must achieve formlessness, so you may assume all
forms" Bruce Lee

this thought is quite humbling. Reminded of a quote by
Gil Fronsdale "The more aware you are of your intentions,
the greater your freedom to choose"
Made a connection between this thought and the Power of
Now, because in this moment is really where all these
subtle movements take place. The ability to really focus in on
the present moment is then in many ways the ability to find
this seat of power which Vivekananda speaks of.
Paramahansa Yogananda teaches what he calls energization
exercises, where one can learn to use thought and intention
to exercise the muscles without the need of any weights,
for we can create the same tension a weight would create just
by intending it and using our own will.
Swami Vivekananda has been such an inspiration to my own
life, there is so much energy and power in his words that
set me afire when I read it.
In molecular biology, we learn that certain proteins are
what cause the muscles to move. But it also seems the mind
itself has some ability to control muscles and the body.
So what is the link between these biological processes and
the impulses sent by mind?
One of the best books I've ever read is the picture
biography of Vivekananda. Always felt that he was so popular
not just because of what he had to say, so much as his
intense spiritual magnetism which people in the west had never
seen before.
"As a rule, man is fool
when it's hot, he wants it cool
When it's cool, he wants it hot
always wanting what is not"
There's a thought that says when someone speaks, 70% of
what is conveyed is just in presence, and only 30% are the
words and intellectual constructs.
The idea of the bubble rising from the bottom of the
ocean to the surface - there's a *lot* of water from the
surface to the bottom, many layers inbetween. It's kind of
exciting to realize we can even experience this whole process
within ourselves.
There is so much awe around us. We hav See full.

this thought is quite humbling. Reminded of a quote by
Gil Fronsdale "The more aware you are of your intentions,
the greater your freedom to choose"

Made a connection between this thought and the Power of
Now, because in this moment is really where all these
subtle movements take place. The ability to really focus in on
the present moment is then in many ways the ability to find
this seat of power which Vivekananda speaks of.

Paramahansa Yogananda teaches what he calls energization
exercises, where one can learn to use thought and intention
to exercise the muscles without the need of any weights,
for we can create the same tension a weight would create just
by intending it and using our own will.

Swami Vivekananda has been such an inspiration to my own
life, there is so much energy and power in his words that
set me afire when I read it.

In molecular biology, we learn that certain proteins are
what cause the muscles to move. But it also seems the mind
itself has some ability to control muscles and the body.
So what is the link between these biological processes and
the impulses sent by mind?

One of the best books I've ever read is the picture
biography of Vivekananda. Always felt that he was so popular
not just because of what he had to say, so much as his
intense spiritual magnetism which people in the west had never
seen before.

"As a rule, man is fool
when it's hot, he wants it cool
When it's cool, he wants it hot
always wanting what is not"

There's a thought that says when someone speaks, 70% of
what is conveyed is just in presence, and only 30% are the
words and intellectual constructs.

The idea of the bubble rising from the bottom of the
ocean to the surface - there's a *lot* of water from the
surface to the bottom, many layers inbetween. It's kind of
exciting to realize we can even experience this whole process
within ourselves.

There is so much awe around us. We have hands & eyes,
but how do these hands move? And our eyes, even sight
itself, isn't this incredible how all this came to be?

Feelings seem to really rule over nearly all decisions
and situations. What can really be done about these? Can
we control these feelings? Seems we have to start just by
watching them arise, without thinking too much about what to
do with them.

When we are present with our feelings, we are really
taking responsibility for not only where they come form, but
where they are going, and thus where we are going.

mystery might be the best word of what lies behined
thoughts, feelings and intention.

There is a point of awareness when thoughts, feelings
and actions become one thing.

In Sankya philosophy it is spoken of two kinds of
perceptions. The first one is the gross sense perception. What
is the second type? We've been using words such as subtle,
deep and so on. When we go deep, where do we go deep?
Words and concepts themselves cannot capture whatever it is we
are trying to talk about.

As soon as I observe that I am 'in the flow' then that
flow comes to a close.

A research project in Princeton a few years ago tried to
find a correlation between collective consciousness and
seemingly 'random events.' By running seemingly seperate
'coin flip' experiments, they noticed that during major events,
such as the death of princess Diana and 9/11, the patterns
of the coin flips were highly statistically improbable.
Part of the conflicts out in the world seem to be from
different groups who essentially all want the same thing,
but for themselves alone.
"what if I changed behaviour .." is too hypothetical, we
have to change that behaviour and then see the effect on
the world.
If we say now "I will end all greed", we will likely
associate some actions in time that will have to take place.
We will still think "In order to do that, this will have to
happen first, then that will have to happen next." After a
while, we might forget what we were doing in the first
place. Vinoba Bhave & Ghandi seemed to have come up with a
solution.
Just by going deeper into spirituality, by your own
presence you affect your sorroundings and the people you meet.
A cardioligist in Stanford did a study of 100 heart
patients. For 50 of them there were other people who were
praying for them, and for the other 50 no one was praying for
in the context of the study. The results showed that the 50
who were being prayed for healed significantly faster and
more completely.
Someone asked Les Kaye, a Zen monk what the purpose of
life is, without hestitation, his answer was "Relationship"
"you cannot observe yourself by being alone, but you can
observe yourself better by seeing others" J Krishnamurti
when there's an internal conflict, we really aren't
connected to the source, and then we can't feel connected to
other people etc.
the impact, when we feel in touch with this inner
source, we are then empowered to influence others in a positive
way. like wednesday evenings. why? the See full.

A research project in Princeton a few years ago tried to
find a correlation between collective consciousness and
seemingly 'random events.' By running seemingly seperate
'coin flip' experiments, they noticed that during major events,
such as the death of princess Diana and 9/11, the patterns
of the coin flips were highly statistically improbable.

Part of the conflicts out in the world seem to be from
different groups who essentially all want the same thing,
but for themselves alone.

"what if I changed behaviour .." is too hypothetical, we
have to change that behaviour and then see the effect on
the world.

If we say now "I will end all greed", we will likely
associate some actions in time that will have to take place.
We will still think "In order to do that, this will have to
happen first, then that will have to happen next." After a
while, we might forget what we were doing in the first
place. Vinoba Bhave & Ghandi seemed to have come up with a
solution.

Just by going deeper into spirituality, by your own
presence you affect your sorroundings and the people you meet.

A cardioligist in Stanford did a study of 100 heart
patients. For 50 of them there were other people who were
praying for them, and for the other 50 no one was praying for
in the context of the study. The results showed that the 50
who were being prayed for healed significantly faster and
more completely.

Someone asked Les Kaye, a Zen monk what the purpose of
life is, without hestitation, his answer was "Relationship"

"you cannot observe yourself by being alone, but you can
observe yourself better by seeing others" J Krishnamurti

when there's an internal conflict, we really aren't
connected to the source, and then we can't feel connected to
other people etc.

the impact, when we feel in touch with this inner
source, we are then empowered to influence others in a positive
way. like wednesday evenings. why? the hour of silence
brings us closer to our own sources, and so we are in a
framework of greater openness.

study with harvard students: people would rather be
richer relative to others than richer objectively

godel escher and bach: games that show that we think
non-rationally in relation with others ... like the prisoner's
dilemma

mark peters' blog entry: not having enough resources for
all poor people etc, conflict between giving and
considering the limitations of that giving. perhaps the important
thing is to give from a place of clarity and sincerity and
allowing the ripples to go as they would.

ayurvedic doctor in pune who had a real talent, and who
experimented with various things. one example: gave castor
oil to everyone and everyone felt better, but another
doctor couldn't replicate this. principle: the medicine is just
the carrier, but the intention of service is most important

on relation between microcosm and macrocosm: story of
astronaut who saw earth from outer space, and realized that
there were no lines in between countries. similarly, so much
of how we affect others has to do with the connection we
have with them.

example: nipun and guri. just by them taking their
journey, because of our shared journey, affects my journey ...

thought on privacy: keeping a lot of things in, and not
sharing due to fear etc, and this thought helps us
recognize that the motivations, intentions etc. are there in
everybody, though manifest in specific ways in our lives.

micro vs. macro: whatever circumstances i happen to be
in, definitely has an impact on others, and vice versa.

at some point in my life i asked myself what can i do to
make the world a better place ... and this thought tells us
that all the parts affect the whole ... and we are the sum
total of all the influences in our life, and in that sense,
we react to things in a semi-conditioned way ... and as we
become aware of that, in changing our own conditions, we
can change the collective conditioning.

everything starts with and intent, and some action
follows. subtlest level of consciousness is the most powerful
level of consciousness.

experiments done in 70's on effect of mass meditation,
and how it affected society beneficially. creating greater
order within has an effect on greater consciousness.

woke up today and told myself that i was going to be
happy, and that today, i would smile at two strangers today.
so if you have a genuine desire to have an aura of
positivity, then you tend to get that back.

sometimes your joy is the reason for your smile,
sometimes your smile is the reason for your joy.

brian green's string theory: at the core of everything,
everything is a vibration. so if you look at will, thought,
action

abstract or concrete

it's a vibration that
comes into harmony with something else.

in my experience, collective energy has helped me a lot;
in particular, having the space on wednesdays, was the
first example of feeling interconnected

transformation occurred for me when i realized that deep
down inside, i'm a person who cares. so the challenge has
been to make that from moments to a way of life.

alternative energy fair in berkeley, reading brochure
and it says to kill slugs, and feeling anger. at the end of
that feeling of anger, i realized that i don't hold myself
to the same standards that i expect from other people. so
perhaps the cause of my anger was my not having lived up to
my own standards.

getting to the point where you are seamlessly living
with integrity in the micro and the macro

society is a pattern, but is it really anything more
than a myth? if we give life to this abstraction, it goes on.

How have your notions of what is good and what is evil
changed through your life?
All our concepts change, at some point people believed
that the world was a flat surface.
It seems conceptions of good and evil are dependant on
your individual situation in place and time. Though they do
seem to exist, how you look at things really plays a role
in how you interpret what they are, and also how you react
to them.
Paramahansa Yogananda said that Real Good is what brings
you closer to Truth, to God. Real evil is what takes you
further from realizing this Truth.
Yogiraj Gurunath says when good things happen, it's
blessings ripening and a chance for spiritual growth. When
difficulties come, it is an opportunity to purify and lighten
our load. From this perpsective, it's 'all' Good.
When you look at a rock up close, you may see the cracks
and ants or bugs on it. Go up on a tree and you may still
see the shape, but not the ants. If you go into the
clouds, you'll see something else alltogether. Another reminder
that really depends on your degree of awareness.
Instead of focusing on what is sin and getting down on
myself, I've chosen to focus on what is True and walk that
path. Like in the Buddhist precepts, the first one is no
killing, but turn it around and that can also mean cherish
all living beings.
Paramhansa Yogananda said that in the movies there is
always the Hero and the Villian. Without the villian we
would not know who the Hero is. If you turn around however you
will see that both Hero & Villian are creations of one
beam.
As a society, do we need conceptions of good & bad?
It seems yes, because different people are at different
stages of perception. A child for example may need the
context of rules before it can grow to think and fend for
itself. At some point however, these concepts need to be
transcended.
It seems cruelty comes from a person who is unhappy and
See full.

How have your notions of what is good and what is evil
changed through your life?

All our concepts change, at some point people believed
that the world was a flat surface.

It seems conceptions of good and evil are dependant on
your individual situation in place and time. Though they do
seem to exist, how you look at things really plays a role
in how you interpret what they are, and also how you react
to them.

Paramahansa Yogananda said that Real Good is what brings
you closer to Truth, to God. Real evil is what takes you
further from realizing this Truth.

Yogiraj Gurunath says when good things happen, it's
blessings ripening and a chance for spiritual growth. When
difficulties come, it is an opportunity to purify and lighten
our load. From this perpsective, it's 'all' Good.

When you look at a rock up close, you may see the cracks
and ants or bugs on it. Go up on a tree and you may still
see the shape, but not the ants. If you go into the
clouds, you'll see something else alltogether. Another reminder
that really depends on your degree of awareness.

Instead of focusing on what is sin and getting down on
myself, I've chosen to focus on what is True and walk that
path. Like in the Buddhist precepts, the first one is no
killing, but turn it around and that can also mean cherish
all living beings.

Paramhansa Yogananda said that in the movies there is
always the Hero and the Villian. Without the villian we
would not know who the Hero is. If you turn around however you
will see that both Hero & Villian are creations of one
beam.

As a society, do we need conceptions of good & bad?

It seems yes, because different people are at different
stages of perception. A child for example may need the
context of rules before it can grow to think and fend for
itself. At some point however, these concepts need to be
transcended.

It seems cruelty comes from a person who is unhappy and
miserable.

My questions are, isn't it evil what happened in Rwanda?
In Sudan? In Nazi Germany? When someone robs and murders
another?

There was a chinese monk who visited here a few years
back, when similar questions were raised to him, his response
is, when you wipe the table with a sponge, you are killing
millions of beings, is that evil?

Often the words good & evil have gotten confused, for
example when they are directly associate with constructive
and destructive.

Definitions of good & evil can get circular, we each
have to look for it in ourselves to understand their roles in
life.

If you look at the rainbow, you can take the biggest
magnifying lens and try to get up close and try to see where
orange ends and red begins. You will never be able to do
so. If you take five steps back however, you will exactly be
able to tell where one ends and the other begins.

It seems the concepts of good & evil have to exist
together, that is, you cannot see evil unless you see good.

We all seem to agree that good and bad are both sides of
one coin. My question is, why are we so fascinated with
looking at this coin?

Once I came in to see a movie towards its end. A man
was hitting another man and I was thinking "wow, what a bad
person" but it turns out I was seeing the Hero subduing the
villian. Similar to life, we mostly are only watching one
scene, but what would we feel if we were able to see the
whole picture?

When people would go to Ghandi with spiritual inquiries,
he would say to go to Vinobha.
It stood out that Love is dynamic, it cannot be static.
Same with thought. There is a subtle difference between
thought & opinion as Vinobha puts it, thought seems to come
with awareness of impermanence, and is present for that
moment, whereas opinion is more rooted into time, it is more
fixed.
Paramahansa Yogananda said "The is a fine line between
being open and lack of conviction"
Swami Vivekananda said (paraphrased) "Surely it is a
good thing to be born into a religion, but it is a terrible
thing to die in one"
My mother said "Your real wealth is not something which
you cannot take with you after you die. You real wealth is
something that no one can take away from you, your
knowledge, your spirituality"
A quote from a woman that has worked with people living
on the streets for much of her life "I have strong
opinions, and I have worked really hard to get them"
Being open once meant to me having much which is kept
closed, with a small open doorway into it. A key difference
into stepping into greater openness is a feeling of
vulnerability .. and yet a sense of greater liberation.
If you really love another person, you will also end up
doing quite a lot of thinking of what it must be like to be
them.
My practice on how to Love others, is to focus on the
life within them which is the same as mine, regardless of
whatever differing opinions we may have.
I've noticed when others have differing opinions on
something I am secure about within myself, it doesn't phase me.
But I get irritated when someone disagrees on something I
am not so sure of.
In my experience, the only times people are willing to
change their opinion is when they get to a point of feeling
about the topic.
Most of the time when we feel something, it is not
actually a new feeling, but a trigger from some past
conditioning See full.

When people would go to Ghandi with spiritual inquiries,
he would say to go to Vinobha.

It stood out that Love is dynamic, it cannot be static.
Same with thought. There is a subtle difference between
thought & opinion as Vinobha puts it, thought seems to come
with awareness of impermanence, and is present for that
moment, whereas opinion is more rooted into time, it is more
fixed.

Paramahansa Yogananda said "The is a fine line between
being open and lack of conviction"

Swami Vivekananda said (paraphrased) "Surely it is a
good thing to be born into a religion, but it is a terrible
thing to die in one"

My mother said "Your real wealth is not something which
you cannot take with you after you die. You real wealth is
something that no one can take away from you, your
knowledge, your spirituality"

A quote from a woman that has worked with people living
on the streets for much of her life "I have strong
opinions, and I have worked really hard to get them"

Being open once meant to me having much which is kept
closed, with a small open doorway into it. A key difference
into stepping into greater openness is a feeling of
vulnerability .. and yet a sense of greater liberation.

If you really love another person, you will also end up
doing quite a lot of thinking of what it must be like to be
them.

My practice on how to Love others, is to focus on the
life within them which is the same as mine, regardless of
whatever differing opinions we may have.

I've noticed when others have differing opinions on
something I am secure about within myself, it doesn't phase me.
But I get irritated when someone disagrees on something I
am not so sure of.

In my experience, the only times people are willing to
change their opinion is when they get to a point of feeling
about the topic.

Most of the time when we feel something, it is not
actually a new feeling, but a trigger from some past
conditioning.

Can love be rationalized?

The root of rationalization is the word 'ratio', which
means, comparing something to another. Can uncondiotional
love be put in ratio? Is it then still unconditional.

What does it mean to be in Love? A friend once
observed:
1) There is this Love
2) I am in it
3) You are here with me

How can one convey to another that they are not coming
from an argumentative and opinionated mode?

Stillness

Within my own being from observation, the link between
Love & thought is sound.

Why does a baby feel love for it's mother?

In response, a poem from Pavi:

My Answer.
For those of you who wonder why
the sky is blue and placed sky-high
For those of you who want to know
how the stream knows where to go
And why the cow has just two horns
and why the nights turn into morns
Listen and I will tell you:

As I grow older I've been thinking how younger children,
teenagers, they look up to me and it makes me think "What
does it really mean to give?"

The only spanish words Ashish knows "Amigos Muchas
Gracias"

Shunryu Suzuki said "Each of you is perfect the way you
are, and you could all use a little improvement"

Often it's not just about finding the right answer, but
asking the right question.

When someone approaches Les Kaye with a problem, he
doesn't start by trying to find an answer, but to celebrate the
courage and bravery the person displays in just asking.

Listening is an important aspect of mentorship.

A title of a book "That which you are seeking is making
you seek"

"Wait, but wait wihtout hope, because hope could be hope
of the wrong thing" T.S. Elliot

Two of the greatest stories about relationships with
mentors: 1) swami vivekananda with Ramakrishna -- convinced by
his own experience 2) Yogananda with Sri Yukteswar --
interchangeability between guru and disciple.

The words "Formal Guru" have come up, and I do have a
"formal guru", but it's one of the most informal
relationships I have.

Mentoring happens when you walk the talk.

Teacher's task: occupy your mind so that the real
teachings can come up from within.

Yogiraj Gurunath often says "You need a teacher in
kindergarden to teach you the abc's, what makes you think that
for life's most important task, finding God, that you do not
need a guide?"

Eric's poem "when a student is ready. A teacher is
everywhere. When a teacher is ready students are everywhere.
When a teacher looks and finds no students, and when
students look and finds no teacher, then graduation is very near.

David Steindl-rast -- connection between gratefulness and
midfulness
Duane Elgin -- the awake universe
Heng Sure -- reflection before you have a meal, on how that
meal has come about. the seed of rice -- where did it come
from?
thankfulness and selflessness are just as connected
objects are useful, but we shouldn't become attached to
them; if we lose it, then we shouldn't feel sorrow ...
have to be balanced between self-identification and
obliviousness
human beings don't notice the finest resolution -- we pick
the resolution that is appropriate.
if we are really going to be in touch with objects, we have
to have no agenda.
can you plan while being in the moment?
when i do parallel thing, usually my attention is not fully
on any of them.
three pillars of zen:
true worth of things: what you think, or what others think?
dolphins using seaweed as "mufflers" to prevent being stung
by stingrays
is evolution the increasing usage of objects?
amma: starve the ego to know yourself. attachment to
objects is about satisfying your ego.
important to tatain balance between using things and not
letting it define you
was trying to find moments where i deeplly appreciated
something, and was therefore able to let it go.
if i really like something, i can leave it where it is ...
the more attachment that you have to certain objects, the
more pain it causes
objects can organize people
what is a moment? modern physicists say time is an
illusion.
we think that we have the ability to think freely, but from
the time you're born, our conditioning constrains the
choices we make.
the self and the universe are the same thing: microcosm and
macrocosm.
calvin hobbes: what is the difference between children and
adults? adults are just more attached to their toys
dalai lama: whenever we look at something, we think how
nice would it be if it were in my back yard. the real
detachment See full.

David Steindl-rast -- connection between gratefulness and
midfulness

Duane Elgin -- the awake universe

Heng Sure -- reflection before you have a meal, on how that
meal has come about. the seed of rice -- where did it come
from?

thankfulness and selflessness are just as connected

objects are useful, but we shouldn't become attached to
them; if we lose it, then we shouldn't feel sorrow ...

have to be balanced between self-identification and
obliviousness

human beings don't notice the finest resolution -- we pick
the resolution that is appropriate.

if we are really going to be in touch with objects, we have
to have no agenda.

can you plan while being in the moment?

when i do parallel thing, usually my attention is not fully
on any of them.

three pillars of zen:

true worth of things: what you think, or what others think?

dolphins using seaweed as "mufflers" to prevent being stung
by stingrays

is evolution the increasing usage of objects?

amma: starve the ego to know yourself. attachment to
objects is about satisfying your ego.

important to tatain balance between using things and not
letting it define you

was trying to find moments where i deeplly appreciated
something, and was therefore able to let it go.

if i really like something, i can leave it where it is ...

the more attachment that you have to certain objects, the
more pain it causes

objects can organize people

what is a moment? modern physicists say time is an
illusion.

we think that we have the ability to think freely, but from
the time you're born, our conditioning constrains the
choices we make.

the self and the universe are the same thing: microcosm and
macrocosm.

calvin hobbes: what is the difference between children and
adults? adults are just more attached to their toys

dalai lama: whenever we look at something, we think how
nice would it be if it were in my back yard. the real
detachment can be when you can appreciate it and don't need it in
your backyard.

objects are often symbols of nostalgia

i found myself getting attached to non-possession.
attachment is to the relationships with the object.

some things are so beautiful, and so you want them near
you. but it gets to the point where they become clutter and
congestion ... i want to be able to appreciate beautiful
things in museums :-)

appreciate and pay it forward

sometimes it's hard to see your own clutter ... objects bog
you down without you realizing it.

the alchemist: if you're in the moment, and reminding
yourself to come back to the moment, suddenly you see things you
didn't see before.

what exactly is materialism? having objects isn't really it
... you can own objects, but don't let the objects own you!

what are objects, and what are valuations? diamonds are of
the same chemical stuff as stones, pretty much; so it's
about how you value it.

possession has a euphoria attached

satish kumar: we are like human havings instead of human
beings

when we multi-task, we have to be more mindful than usual
... we have to switch contexts etc ... and we can only do
that wehen we can put a task on auto-pilot ... so you have to
be more mindful to multitask, if you are conscious.

if we are able to perceive that everything is
interconnected, then it's easier to let go of one thing.

A good quality of this thought is the attitude of
non-self-judgementality.
"Not all who wander are lost"
The stag doesn't judge the turtle.
Steve Jobs in a commencement speech at Stanford asks
himself every day "If I were to die today, is this what I
would be doing with my life?"
If we are both the root, as we need to receive to
sustain ourselves and we are the fruit, as we have a lot to give,
then we must be the tree.
Seems obvious, but you have to have a lot of humility to
be humble
Read a quote by Shunryu Suzuki "You are all perfect just
the way you are, and you could all use a little bit of
improvement"
Hagel said that to understand anything you have to first
split it up, but once you understand the parts you have to
synthesize and realize the whole which is greater than its
parts.
"If it happens it's good, but if it doesn't happen, it's
even better" Amita Bhajan
The human ear can hear about 150 words a minute, human
speech can speek about 500 words a minute, but the human
mind can process 5000 words a minute.
"Faith is a withholding of conclusion so you allow what
is to arise"
No resistance, total acceptance, no frustration
Heard at the Ammachi ashram "The essence of humility is
not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself
less"
"A good man is a bad man's teacher, a bad man is a good
man's job. If you don't understand this, you will forever
be confused by the world"
"A saint is a sinner who never gave up" Paramahansa
Yogananda
To make decisions, it helps me to remember what it is
that I really want, and choose according to that.
You can philosophize of what it's like to step from Y to
Z, or you can take a step from B to C.
Upon reflection, it seems that every time I felt
conflicted about a decision, the decision had already been made
and my process was just to accept it.
"Shantaram" non-fiction book that may be worth reading
See full.

A good quality of this thought is the attitude of
non-self-judgementality.

"Not all who wander are lost"

The stag doesn't judge the turtle.

Steve Jobs in a commencement speech at Stanford asks
himself every day "If I were to die today, is this what I
would be doing with my life?"

If we are both the root, as we need to receive to
sustain ourselves and we are the fruit, as we have a lot to give,
then we must be the tree.

Seems obvious, but you have to have a lot of humility to
be humble

Read a quote by Shunryu Suzuki "You are all perfect just
the way you are, and you could all use a little bit of
improvement"

Hagel said that to understand anything you have to first
split it up, but once you understand the parts you have to
synthesize and realize the whole which is greater than its
parts.

"If it happens it's good, but if it doesn't happen, it's
even better" Amita Bhajan

The human ear can hear about 150 words a minute, human
speech can speek about 500 words a minute, but the human
mind can process 5000 words a minute.

"Faith is a withholding of conclusion so you allow what
is to arise"

No resistance, total acceptance, no frustration

Heard at the Ammachi ashram "The essence of humility is
not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself
less"

"A good man is a bad man's teacher, a bad man is a good
man's job. If you don't understand this, you will forever
be confused by the world"

"A saint is a sinner who never gave up" Paramahansa
Yogananda

To make decisions, it helps me to remember what it is
that I really want, and choose according to that.

You can philosophize of what it's like to step from Y to
Z, or you can take a step from B to C.

Upon reflection, it seems that every time I felt
conflicted about a decision, the decision had already been made
and my process was just to accept it.

"An educated mind is one that can entertain any thought
without accepting it" Aristotle

Sitting for meditation is a process of unmasking (the
senses)

The latin translation for 'mask' is 'persona'

What would we be if we took off all our masks?

Seems more crucial to be conscious that we are wearing
masks than to necessarily take them off.

We often put our own masks on each other.

In Japan in the Kabuki theater, the actors both act and
wear masks. This engages the audience to use their
imagination to understand the play.

"If you stop looking for roses, there are no thorns"
U.G. Krishnamurti

When learning something, it seems to sink in better if
we accept it, but we don't grasp too hard on the knowledge
itself.

mind always sees things in two ways: peel off layers
until you arrive at what is unmasked or just be here now,
start behaving as if there's no mask and letting that
realization sink in its roots and develop. Both approaches are
effective.

"It's not the masks we wear, but our actions which
define us" Batman

How do you recognize that you are playing all these
roles?

A friend said today "Imagination is the basis of
compasssion"

Is it possible to be honest while wearing masks?

"When I go away, something else will come in" Kabir

A thought heard recently "Culture came out of a need to
invoke common ideas so we could all live together."

The difference between trying to be, and just being.

During these wednesday conversations, generally I'm
intently listening, trying to learn. But as the mask gets
closer, especially the last two people, my attention gets
phases out.

Discussion notes from Wednesday ...
What do I believe? Accumulation of wealth is accumulation of sin.
Inconvenient Truth
This author hasn't lived in my neighbhorhood; it's hard to trust!
The problem of our times is values.
A felon is disallowed to vote for the rest of your life; assumes that once you make a mistake, you're not a good person.
What I am is more important than what I believe in.
I stayed with my friend for two days; another friend stayed in the same place and saw God. It's all about perspective.
You have earn your beliefs; you can't just believe.
By being who you are, you allow others a chance to be who they are.
If everyone gave, there wouldn't be homeless.
I wonder if this is true elsewhere? "southern hospitality"?
Was try to help three women who didn't speak much English. Cops pulls us over and asks, "Why I want to do good?"
Maybe it's my youth, but I believe in the optimism of the passage.
Person behind me paid for me at the grocery store when I forgot my wallet. Time and time again, good has always prevailed in my life.
Whatever I end up believeing will become true; but you have to truly believe it, can't fake it.
Can't project your belief to your kids; they have to find it themselves.
Lost our license during a family trip to Hawaii; the receptionist called her boyfriend at midnight to help. Bonanza of goodness.
My world is a projection of my own self; I gotta take full responsibility.
'Inconvenient Truth' movie made me get a hybrid.
Life has made me a believer. Got a flat tire on 280 freeway and dear old man helped me out.
We are products of multiple circumstances and multiple realities; Heinlen starts with his neighbors, goes to towns people and goes to the whole race. We have to start with our corner of the world.
There has to be critical mass of people who believe in a particular for mass adoption of that practice.
People really need to know that others care about what they care about.
Of all the beliefs, See full.

Notes from the Wednesday discussion ...
Some people see good in all. Like Sister Antonia in the Mexican prisons.
Sometimes I want to do everything but then I remember to do what's in front of you.
We have to expand the notion of humanity to all creation and not just think that we're at the top.
A Tamil Tiger emailed me today -- if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Be non-violent or live as a marked man?
Why is this called "new" humanity? Humanity is humanity.
The man who frisked me at the airport, later helped me buy my tickets because I couldn't speak the local language.
Humanity is alive everywhere!
Nisha's story about walker?
In oscillating between micro and macro, I remember to start with myself.
Reading Friedman's 'World is Flat' where he says that as the world gets more interconnected economically, we're less likely to go to war.
What would you do to save something? Don't look for this one thing. Do something that will make you come alive.
In the movie, Shawshank Redemption, they play classical music in prison. No one understands it but everyone is happy because they're not exposed to anything beautiful. Like that, do something, even if it means you just sing a song.
Change within, they say. But it's so much easier to change others!
Saw celestine prophecy -- I don't think everything happens for a reason. Movie talked about the next step in evolution being not dominating others for their energy ... at a personal and societal level. Cooperation.
Dream -- got seized by militants, but was let go. Felt bad about it. Didn't get my share of suffering.
Cellist in Sarajevo: they bombed and he kept playing music on the streets in protest.
I have the conviction but I don't know for sure
not to pollute the noosphere with my negativity
Authentic self -- be in the present is the best way to reach that voice; suffering that exists in the world due to ignorance.
Everything is in cycles; if you look at the sun, it gives energy. It harms See full.

Some people see good in all. Like Sister Antonia in the Mexican prisons.

Sometimes I want to do everything but then I remember to do what's in front of you.

We have to expand the notion of humanity to all creation and not just think that we're at the top.

A Tamil Tiger emailed me today -- if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Be non-violent or live as a marked man?

Why is this called "new" humanity? Humanity is humanity.

The man who frisked me at the airport, later helped me buy my tickets because I couldn't speak the local language.

Humanity is alive everywhere!

Nisha's story about walker?

In oscillating between micro and macro, I remember to start with myself.

Reading Friedman's 'World is Flat' where he says that as the world gets more interconnected economically, we're less likely to go to war.

What would you do to save something? Don't look for this one thing. Do something that will make you come alive.

In the movie, Shawshank Redemption, they play classical music in prison. No one understands it but everyone is happy because they're not exposed to anything beautiful. Like that, do something, even if it means you just sing a song.

Change within, they say. But it's so much easier to change others!

Saw celestine prophecy -- I don't think everything happens for a reason. Movie talked about the next step in evolution being not dominating others for their energy ... at a personal and societal level. Cooperation.

Dream -- got seized by militants, but was let go. Felt bad about it. Didn't get my share of suffering.

On May 30, 2006Nipun wrote:
If you're interested in reading the full article, it's from Kosmos Journal: http://www.kosmosjournal.org/kjo/articles/articlessub2/opening-the-door-to-a-new.shtml
Janis Roze Ph.D. born in Latvia, is Professor of Biology Emeritus of City College and Graduate School of the City University of New York. He was professionally associated with the American Museum of Natural History and the United Nations. A founder of the International Center for Integrative Studies he published six books and narrated several videos on Creative Evolution. He co-edited What it Means to be Human (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ tg/detail/-/0312271018?v=glance)

Notes from Wednesday discussion ...
Decision making process is easy for yourself. But it's hard to convince others of your decision making skills!
Rumi once said: "If you want what visible reality can give, you're an employee. If you want the unseen world, you're not living your truth. Both wishes are foolish, but you'll be forgiven for forgetting that what you really want is love's confusing joy."
First sentence says there are no provable certainties. Certainties simply aren't provable.
First decision, gut instinct, is usually the right one. Babies always try to help.
Villian and hero are on the same screen; it all originates from the same beam of light. We must seek that light.
Be yourself. We often try to emulate our own self images.
Sherlock Holmes: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that simple decisions are better with conscious thinking, the complex decisions are much effective with the use of our sub-conscious.
Where are we as humanity? The answer depends on how strong people's opinions are. If we live in a cut-n-dry right-n-wrong world, we're still very young.
Like Patricia Ryan Maddison said, we must substitute presence for meditation.
Some say fear helps us protect ourselves but fear often prevent a good decision.
How to buy a rocking chair? My husband research, I just buy it.
I go with intuition because I'm afraid of exposing myself, my narrow view points, to my intellectual reasoning.
Heart, mind, action.
Backup plans is a big hinderance for my decision making. Gotta remove contigency plans.
For difficult decisions, I pray for guidance from a higher source.
Before I make a major decision, I always give it one night of sleep.
If you want to hear a good laugh, just tell God your plans.
In British English, we "take" decisions. In American English, we "make" decisions.
Whatever you dec See full.

Decision making process is easy for yourself. But it's hard to convince others of your decision making skills!

Rumi once said: "If you want what visible reality can give, you're an employee. If you want the unseen world, you're not living your truth. Both wishes are foolish, but you'll be forgiven for forgetting that what you really want is love's confusing joy."

First sentence says there are no provable certainties. Certainties simply aren't provable.

First decision, gut instinct, is usually the right one. Babies always try to help.

Villian and hero are on the same screen; it all originates from the same beam of light. We must seek that light.

Be yourself. We often try to emulate our own self images.

Sherlock Holmes: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that simple decisions are better with conscious thinking, the complex decisions are much effective with the use of our sub-conscious.

Where are we as humanity? The answer depends on how strong people's opinions are. If we live in a cut-n-dry right-n-wrong world, we're still very young.

On May 23, 2006Jesse wrote:
I saw a movie trailer recently that had the tagline -- "Difficult decisions are the ones that don't get taken."
That is to say that once you make a difficult decision, it's no longer difficult. The human spirit is so strong, that no matter what the situation, it will adapt.
Partially, I blame the media for giving us fears and our material progress for giving us so many choices that we start generating doubts. In reality, the human spirit so strong that no matter what the circumstance, we adapt. Nothing is really all that difficult, if you break it down. As Victor Frankl points out, Jews shared their bread (and love) in concentration camps.
So yeah, go make difficult decisions, embrace the unknown, live on the edge. :)

On May 16, 2006JZ wrote:
Compassion is certainly not for the weak.
Gandhi, when he was instructing compassion workers at the Dandi March -- where people stood in lines to get pulverized by the British army -- said this: don't just get hit; look at the man hitting you, look him in the eye with love, and preach a silent sermon. Preach that the love in me is far stronger than the negativity with which you strike. Oppose not the man, for he is divine, but oppose his actions, for they are confused when it harms another being. And know that love will always prevail over hatred, that wherever there is injustice, there will always be forces working for justice, wherever there is weakness, strength will be always be found. And all this from a guy who boldly said -- my life is my message.